Childhood
obesity is at an all-time high due to several reasons:
food selection, lack of exercise, schools eliminating
recess and children not getting the adequate amount of
rest. This increase of childhood obesity affects the
physical well-being of children by increasing the number
of early childhood hypertension problems, heart
complications, diabetes and other serious illnesses.
I am Jerico Wiggins, personal trainer and author of a
book called "Fit Freddy." As a child, I was not always
fit and did not live a healthy lifestyle. I faced the
struggle of being the "chubby" kid in the group which
led to self-esteem issues. Now as a father, it is easy
for me to understand what our kids are going through in
their adolescent and teen years. So, my experience
inspired me to help other kids to battle obesity and
win.
Childhood obesity was my primary reason for wanting my
children to be healthier. However, I didn't know where
to begin. "Fit Freddy" is my way of assisting my
children and others understand the importance of living
healthy. This book is about a boy who is overweight and
teased and bullied because of it. But with the help of
a personal coach or teacher, he makes the decision to
lose the extra pounds to win.
"Fit Freddy" takes the topic of something as serious as
childhood obesity and adds humor to the story; but at
the same time, it educates and informs children about
the proper steps to live healthier and active lives. The
book is very colorful, has great illustrations, is easy
to understand and is very child friendly.
The ideal age for children to be introduced to Fit
Freddy is pre-K- first grade, but it is designed to be
integrated into the lives of children in second to fifth
grades. Research shows that the earlier we introduce
healthy living to children, the better chance we have to
control childhood obesity.
"Fit Freddy" is very interactive and incorporates a
workout plan to help children understand how to begin a
fit and healthier lifestyle. I have used "Fit Freddy" as
a tool to help hundreds of children in Georgia to get a
jump start on getting off the sofa, from in front of the
television and off the video games long enough to start
good activity/exercise. It is also used to help children
understand how to make better food selections and to
raise their awareness of the important role rest plays
in becoming healthy.
There are some common sense things that parents can do
and others they can stay away from that will surely
assist in this fight against obesity:
Don't
- Make your child eat when they are not hungry
- Use food as a comfort or reward
- Offer dessert as a reward for finishing a meal
- Eat at fast food restaurants more than once a
week
- Enforce the clean plate policy
Do
- Offer your child a healthy diet and allow them
to shop with you
- Limit television and video games
- Spend time with your child outdoors being active
"family time"
- Model good eating and exercising time
Let's take a stand and do our part in combating
childhood obesity. We can win when our children lose.
For more information, visit
www.fitfreddythebook.com
-Story by Jerico Wiggins, personal trainer and
author of "Fit Freddy"
